Concours at Wynn Las Vegas: The New King of the Supercar Scene?
For years, the automotive world has echoed with one perennial question: Is this event better than Pebble Beach? It’s a question that follows the Pebble Beach Concours like a shadow. When people talk about Monterey Car Week, they often mean the entire ecosystem—the events, the auctions, the parties, and the grand finale. But increasingly, the conversation shifts to other contenders. Is the Goodwood Festival of Speed still the king? What about the Goodwood Revival? Or perhaps Amelia Island, Moda Miami, or Retromobile? And of course, there’s the Audrain Concours.
In the rarefied air of vintage metal and high fashion, wherever wealthy collectors and enthusiasts gather, the same query surfaces: Is Pebble still on top? The honest answer is this: Pebble Beach remains the pinnacle of the concours, but its heir apparent—the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering—is facing a serious new rival.
Why The Quail Once Ruled
The Quail has long served as the perfect prelude to the main event: Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours. For a growing segment of the car community, however, The Quail has long since eclipsed the Sunday event. This shift is primarily driven by enthusiasts who are deeply interested in late-model and brand-new supercars and hypercars. I’ve spoken to countless car friends who travel to Car Week but skip Pebble because they have no interest in looking at “a bunch of old cars.”
Furthermore, the unfortunate demise of the Geneva International Motor Show left a gaping hole in the supercar calendar, and The Quail has stepped into that void with impressive grace.
Let me give you a few concrete examples. The Lamborghini Aventador made its debut at Geneva in 2011, followed by the ultra-exclusive Veneno in 2013. But the Aventador’s replacement—the Revuelto—had an online unveiling. However, the Temerario, which is the Huracán’s successor, was first unveiled at The Quail in 2024. The same holds true for the Fenomeno, a seven-figure hypercar that made its world premiere at the 2025 Quail. Bugatti revealed the Chiron in Geneva back in 2016, but the Divo (2018) and the Mistral (2022) were both first shown to the world at The Quail. This pattern extends to dozens of other manufacturers.
In short, The Quail has become the global epicenter for supercar debuts and unveilings. It has evolved into the best show in the world for these kinds of vehicles.
The Game Changer: Las Vegas
Until this past Halloween, I thought The Quail’s dominance in the global automotive hierarchy was secure. Then, I attended the 2025 Las Vegas Concours (officially known as Concours at Wynn Las Vegas), and I began to question that assumption.
I should explain that I also attended the 2024 Vegas Concours. While it was enjoyable, it felt more regional or provincial. There were some fantastic cars, but they were the usual suspects—cars you see at many shows. In fact, if I hadn’t been working with Czinger and invited as their guest, I likely wouldn’t have bothered attending this year. But I am so glad I did. The scale of this event was simply staggering.
What Is It?
Imagine this: The Wynn had 48 Bugatti Veyrons on the lawn this year. Yes, you read that correctly. Of the 450 total Veyrons ever built and the 100 sold in North America, 48 of them were in Vegas. Well, 49, to be exact. Bugatti brought along a stunning white Vitesse Super Sport to celebrate the Veyron’s 20th anniversary. They also showcased a Bolide, a Centodieci, a Chiron Super Sport, a Divo, a Mistral, and a prototype of the upcoming Tourbillon, the 18-cylinder hybrid that will replace the Chiron.
Displaying more than 10% of all the Bugatti Veyrons ever produced in one location has my head still spinning. It’s a testament to the ambitious scope of this event.
And what about the kids? They love Pagani, don’t they? Because there were more than 40 of those, too. I didn’t get the exact count (I was too busy drooling over the Veyrons), but there were several Zondas, including a Zonda Revolution (one of five ever made). There were dozens of Huayras, a bunch of Utopias, and—concerning for The Quail—the debut of the Huayra Codalunga Speedster. Pagani plans to produce only 10 of these, and they cost about $7 million each before taxes and tariffs. (The mint-green example under wraps belongs to Apple’s Tim Cook.)
Even if these carbon-titanium extroverts aren’t your thing, the fact that the 2025 Las Vegas Concours was not only the largest Pagani gathering ever held in North America but also the venue where Horatio Pagani (who was honored onstage by emcee Justin Bell for his contributions to car design) and his team chose to introduce a new car speaks volumes. More on that later.
Back to the Pagani tally: more than 40 cars. That’s a larger number than the factory produces in an entire year.
The Lamborghini section was just as jaw-dropping if you’re into these kinds of vehicles. First off, the 2025 Wynn Vegas Concours was the largest gathering of Lamborghinis ever. Yes, ever. I didn’t count, but the reported number was around 230. That’s 230 of the 600 cars present that Saturday. Simply mind-blowing.
Of those 230, there was a Veneno Coupe (one of only three ever sold to the public; the factory kept a fourth one), a Sesto Elemento (one of 10), a Centenario coupe (one of 20) and a convertible (one of 20), and a Reventón (one of 21). The last time I saw all those “few-offs” (as Lamborghini now calls them) together in the same place was at the factory’s museum. It was a flabbergasting display of precious, high-horsepower Italian metal and composites.
A Glimpse of the Future
In an attempt at brevity, I’m leaving out all the Koenigseggs, the Gumpert Apollo, the Czingers, the Nilu, the McLaren Project Endurance race car debut, all the cars that were actually judged (including a former and insane Pebble Beach Concours-winning 1929 Mercedes-Benz 680 S Barker Tourer that won prewar best of show here, too), the HWA EVO, a Mercedes-AMG One, two Oldsmobile Aerotechs, and a McLaren F1. And yet, even without listing everything, I’ve described one hell of a car show.
What Comes Next?
As I moved through the crowd, two questions dominated the conversations among fellow attendees. The first, naturally, was: “How the hell are they going to top this next year?” I have no idea, but godspeed to the Wynn.
The second query was far more intriguing and came directly from the OEM carmakers: “Should we even bother doing The Quail next year?” That’s a damn good question. Perhaps I should say godspeed to The Quail, too.
The Economic and Logistical Reality
You might not know this, but a single ticket to The Quail cost $1,300 last year. That’s $1,300 as a courtesy if you’ve attended in the past (they call them “legacy ticket holders”). For first-time attendees, the price was $1,600. Yes, that’s expensive, but the cost for OEMs to put a car on a show stand there is around $400,000—and that’s for just six hours.
Meanwhile, the Vegas Concours charges about 1/20th of that. If you want to attend, tickets are only $100 a pop. That’s about $2 per Veyron in the show. I spoke to three different car manufacturers who openly questioned the need to ever attend The Quail again. They mused, perhaps Las Vegas and Moda Miami are enough?
Moreover, for attendees, you won’t be paying heart-attack-inducing prices for hotels (a friend stayed at a motel near Pebble that was $1,100 a night, five-night minimum), nor running around from event to event in soul-crushing traffic. Also, making dinner reservations is easy because Las Vegas is literally built
Concours at Wynn Las Vegas: The New King of the Supercar Scene?
For years, the automotive world has echoed with one perennial question: Is this event better than Pebble Beach? It’s a question that follows the Pebble Beach Concours like a shadow. When people talk about Monterey Car Week, they often mean the entire ecosystem—the events, the auctions, the parties, and the grand finale. But increasingly, the conversation shifts to other contenders. Is the Goodwood Festival of Speed still the king? What about the Goodwood Revival? Or perhaps Amelia Island, Moda Miami, or Retromobile? And of course, there’s the Audrain Concours.
In the rarefied air of vintage metal and high fashion, wherever wealthy collectors and enthusiasts gather, the same query surfaces: Is Pebble still on top? The honest answer is this: Pebble Beach remains the pinnacle of the concours, but its heir apparent—the Quail, A Motorsports Gathering—is facing a serious new rival.
Why The Quail Once Ruled
The Quail has long served as the perfect prelude to the main event: Sunday’s Pebble Beach Concours. For a growing segment of the car community, however, The Quail has long since eclipsed the Sunday event. This shift is primarily driven by enthusiasts who are deeply interested in late-model and brand-new supercars and hypercars. I’ve spoken to countless car friends who travel to Car Week but skip Pebble because they have no interest in looking at “a bunch of old cars.”
Furthermore, the unfortunate demise of the Geneva International Motor Show left a gaping hole in the supercar calendar, and The Quail has stepped into that void with impressive grace.
Let me give you a few concrete examples. The Lamborghini Aventador made its debut at Geneva in 2011, followed by the ultra-exclusive Veneno in 2013. But the Aventador’s replacement—the Revuelto—had an online unveiling. However, the Temerario, which is the Huracán’s successor, was first unveiled at The Quail in 2024. The same holds true for the Fenomeno, a seven-figure hypercar that made its world premiere at the 2025 Quail. Bugatti revealed the Chiron in Geneva back in 2016, but the Divo (2018) and the Mistral (2022) were both first shown to the world at The Quail. This pattern extends to dozens of other manufacturers.
In short, The Quail has become the global epicenter for supercar debuts and unveilings. It has evolved into the best show in the world for these kinds of vehicles.
The Game Changer: Las Vegas
